phosrpgportalfandomcom-20200214-history
Kraashnak
Biography He is known as Kraashnak, just Kraashnak. No middle name to show his standing in the world. No last name to show where he belongs. The Northlanders would refer to his ilk as "The Forgotten" or "The Left Behind". For he has no home, no station, and nowhere he belongs. But it was not always so....... Kraashnak was born Kraashnak Yut Ruugor. Born of his father Uglug Nar Ruugor, and mother Pulo Nar Ruugor, in the tribe Ruugor. But parents mean little to a child of the north. For he was raised and trained as is custom away from his parents. With the other children, living and learning with the Pru's, the religious leaders of the tribe. RokNar's teachings are very important in Northlander upbringing. It is here he learned to fight. Fighting his brothers for food everyday. It was also here at the young age of nine that he fought in his first battle to the death. Battle was a way of life, as the tribes are alway in a constant struggle to survive. They are taught at a young age, "kill or be killed", "Only the strong survive", and a "Tribe First" mentality. If a young tribesman does not show enough promise, he never loses the name Yut, never receives much food or other life giving necessities. If truly considered worthless by the tribe, the tribesman is "forgotten". At the young age of twelve, Kraashnak was chosen by many to be Pru as well as Nar. As is tradition with such debates, the Cha is given the final word. Before deciding, the current Cha, Forg Cha Ruugar, opted to ask Kraashnak his desire. Kraashnak told Forg, "My life belongs to RokNar and Ruugar, it is not my own to decide." After much thought by Forg, he believed Kraashnak earned the name Krashnak Nar Ruugar, and he would help lead the Ruugar tribe on many successful hunts. Over the next few years Kraashnak became one of the tribes better warriors. He trusted the tracking to those better skilled, but skirmishes broke out between tribes, or the tribe needed to raid a Kosian, or Valuisan village, Kraashnak took the lead. He seemed to have knack for combat strategy above that of the common tribesman. Feints and flanking, splitting forces, tactics not normally used by The White Towns tribes, were embraced by Kraashnak. Other tribesmen of the Ruugar took notice, and quickly they all followed Kraashnak commands during skirmishes and raids. They weren't the only ones to notice though. Other tribes took notice too. Ruugar's power grew too quick. Raids too successful, skirmishes over mammoth hunts were alarmingly going Ruugar's way. All out war was on the brink between the tribes. A Grud-Moot was called between all the tribes. The current GrudCha, Bulig GrudCha Nathlag, brought a strong alliance of tribes. Tribes that had received great loses from the Ruugar. Forg believed calling a Grud-Moot was a mistake by Bulig, giving him the chance to argue his deserving right to be the new Grud-Tribe. Most tribes scoffed at the idea. Some even saying that the the sixteen year old Kraashnak had more right to GrudCha then he did. Forg left the Grud-Moot angered. He thought this would be a great moment for the Ruugar. Instead the Grud had not changed hand, and he believed Ruugar left the Grud-Moot lower in tribe power than before. Bulig's true intention of the Grud-Moot was to plant the seed of distrust between Forg and his young Nar warrior. He did not reach the title of Grud-Cha without the charisma and knowledge of manipulation. He worked on Forg own lack of confidence within his own tribe superbly. Within weeks Forg stripped Kraashnak of the title of Nar, changing it back to Yut. Many of the other Nar disagreed and the tribe was tearing itself in half. Still Kraashnak accepted his new name, believing if it was best for the tribe, he would make do in his new life. Life grew harder for the Ruugar. Disrespect grew within the ranks for Forg. Without Kraashnak leading the raids, success became failure. Tribesmen were openly dishonoring Forg. More than one challenge to the Cha came over the next few months, and even as Kraashnak defended Forg's life from his own tribesmen. Forg could do nothing but blame Kraashnak for the splintering of his tribe. After just under a year. In the middle of the night. The Nathlag and Kilok tribes attacked. An unusual tactic for the White Town barbarians. Only in dire circumstances do the tribes fight together, and never against another tribe. These were war tactics, and not a skrimish fight that would expect no retaliation. Their target was clear, to kill the young Kraashnak before he could make Ruugar more of a threat to their power. The Nar defended their Yut brother but at a high cost. This was the last straw for Forg he ordered that Kraashnak will be stripped of all names and left here for death. Kraashnak raged. After all he had done to defend Forg and his decisions, he knew Ruugar needed a new stronger leader. One who would not give into these tribes, but give them the justice that RokNar demanded. He instantly challenged Forg. No other Ruugar opted to fight in Forg's stead. The fight was brief. Forg was never the master warrior of even the young Kraashnak. Kraashnak would not kill Forg. He believed Forg did not deserve the honor of a death by blade, and so he was "forgotten". And at sixteen Kraashnak Yut Ruugar became Kraashnak Cha Ruugar. Thirty seconds after becoming Cha he declared a war on two different tribes, and within minutes the Ruugar were charging toward the Nathlag and Kilok encampments. For Kraashnak's strategy to work, all tribesmen would have to fight. Not just the Nar, which is tribe versus tribe skirmish tradition. He would have to hit them both at the same time, and only bringing the tribe entire would he have the numbers to do so. Finding the encampments was easy, in the tundra of White Towns, you can see the camp fires required to stay warm for miles. Under the cover of night they approached, Kraashnak choosing to lead the group attacking the Nathlag tribe, the largest tribe in White Towns. With the battle cry of "RUUGAR!!!", Kraashnak led a small portion of Ruugar into the Nathlag encampment. The Nathlag were not ready for such an aggressive move. They were celebrating their recent victory. Many were drunk, or without armor or weapons. The initial attack hit so hard and so fast, but Kraashnak knew the that the superior numbers of the Nathlag would win out. He ordered the retreat of his tribesmen, and they fell back the way they came. With the many Nathlag in tow, the retreating Kraashnak led the Nathlag right into another group of well rested Ruugar. They hit the confused Nathlag, slicing right through them. Before the Nathlag could regroup and counter the attack, the Ruugar retreated again into the darkness. Again the remaining Nathlag took chase, and again they were hit. This time by Kraashnak's group. Again and again the Ruugar groups leapfrogged each other. Fresher and faster than the confounded Nathlag. After hours of fighting, the Nathlag had finally felt the tide turning. Their opponents were no longer retreating. As the sun rose on the battlefield Bulig was shocked to find no Ruugar on the field. The other group of Ruugar had led the Kilok to the same field in the same mannor. Slipping away in the dark and allowing their two enemy's to decimate each other. This maneuver was is still talked about today, and is known as "Kraashnak's Revenge". Thuse began "The Ruugar Wars". Three years of infighting between the tribes. The Ruugar's decimation of the Nathlag and Kilok tribes left a power void in White Towns. Kraashnak and the Ruugar believed it was theirs to fill, but the other tribes wanted their pieces too. Bulig GrudCha Nathlag kept his tribe on the move, and refused to call a Grud-Moot. He even approached the Valuian King for assistance. King Kaden believed this would be an opportunity to bring a more stable border between Valusia and White Towns. He would trade steel weapons and armor for the ivory of the Mammoth. The deal was very much in the Nathlag favor. Ivory, while expensive to come by in Valusia, had not much use other than decorative trinkets, for the rich. Still King Kaden paid twice it value in steel goods. This worked two fold, he helped prolong the war, which decreased the number of Valuian raids, and built a dependence to steel weapons, making it less likely that the tribes he bargained with would raid a Valusian city. To this day the influx of ivory in Kingport can be seen everywhere from the street lamps to the King Kadens Great Hall. By the end of the third year Kraashnak had made quite a name for himself. He had openly battled every tribe more than once, usually the victor. More tribes followed the Nathlag approach and started trading with Valusia. The Ruugar, under Kraashnak's lead, refused to attempt any such agreement. It wasn't trading with Valusia that bothered Kraashnak, but that he believed to truly honor a great warrior of RokNar, you would take his dropped weapon and use it for one more glorious kill. Such is one of the RokNar's Edicts. It was "The Battle of Weeping Rock" that ended the wars. When the whole Nathlag tribe fortified a small valley near the Dread Mountains. Bulig thought it defensible, and knowing that at least two separate tribes were tracking them, he needed defensible. The valley was the floor of a three sided canyon, with only one way in and one way out. Kraashnak decided to wait them out. It may sound dishonorable to entrap a tribe with no food for hunting, and only the snow water to drink. But by staying there and not following the herd themselves, the Ruugar and Nathlag fates were intertwined. For over a week both tribes sat there. Eld in the Ruugar tribe begged Kraashnak to leave. He would not. On the ninth day a sole Nathlag walked from the canyon. Bulig approached the Ruugar encampment to speak with Kraashnak. Bulig, honor bound, refused to surrender the Grud name. But would wish to settle their dispute in the old fashion. Cha against Cha. A fight to the death. Kraashnak agreed, and that night great bonfires were placed in a ring at the mouth of the valley. It was these bonfires melting the ice on the canyon walls that gave this battle it's name. By law only the two Cha could enter he circle. Kraashnak with his two deadly battle axes, and Weelax with Zelthaw, the sacred battle axe of RokNar himself. Witnesses of the fight say they have never seen such an even contest. They traded blow for blow. For hours they fought, never giving an inch. Kraashnak would later say that even blocking a blow from Zelthaw would send a tremor through your whole body and make your arms go numb. They fought until daybreak. When Kraashnak buried one of his axes deep into Bulig's chest. As he picked Zelthaw up from the ground, he knew the fight he had just finished was one for legend. Bulig deserved respect, and the Ruugar were going to give it. First Kraashnak refused to remove his axes from Bulig, he knew they would never find a more worthy enemy. Second he ordered that stones be gathered from the nearby mountain, and stacked in such away to construct a enclosure around the body. And third, Nar would be sent to hunt the mammoth, and bring the meat back here for a feast in Bulig's honor. Kraashnak made a mistake sending his Nar away. The Moolben Tribe was less than a day out and moving upon them. Krilza Cha Moolben approached the Ruugar tribe in Moot and realized what had been done. He realized the Ruugar were undefended, and that he could take Zelthaw for himself. He demanded Kraashnak to give him the axe. Kraashnak refused and Krilza threaten to attack his tribe. Kraashnak still refused, but he was in no place to fight. That's when from out of the Canyon, the Nar of Tradforn, led by Dodhuum Nar Nathlag marched to show support for Kraashnak. Offering their blades to his aid if the Moolben attack. Krilza cringed at the united tribes, and retreated, forgetting his plans for GrudCha. Not to long later Dodhuum was named Cha of the Nathlag, and at the Grud-Moot, he was Kraashnak's biggest supporter. Ruugar and Nathlag had bonded under Weeping Rock. At age 19 Kraashnak was officially declared GrudCha and he would rule for the longest known reign of a GrudCha. Twenty-five years he built strong bonds with all the Cha's. He fought to keep White Town's independent, allowing the individual tribes to barter treaty's with Valusia and Kos, but never any official White Town's allegiance. Even during the last Race War 13 years ago, Kraashnak refused to be the hired muscle for Valusia, not allowing any tribe to fight side by side with their neighbors to the south. Though the White Towns did enter the war, it was more for the thrill of battle than any wrong done to Kraashnak's people. Twenty-five years was along time for a GrudCha. Long for the GrudCha himself,and really long for any strong willed Northman with aspirations of power. The average life span of a Northlander was 25 years. Almost all but the youngest of Northlanders were not even alive when Kraashnak took power. Kraashnak had become legend, or fairy tale to the children of the other tribes. The man who could not die. Kraashnak had spent years teaching the Ruugar Nar his tactics and strategies, and the years of during the latest Race War, the other tribes had a closer view of the Ruugar leader. The long years of Ruugar superiority were coming to an end. Every tribe learned what it could from Kraashnak and the Ruugar, and soon bordering towns were at the mercy of all the Northlanders new tactics. Kraashnak called a Grud-Moot. Not wishing a war against the Orc and Dwarves of The Dread Mountains, and the humans of Valusia and Kos, all at the same time. This gave Girth Cha Zulbag his opportunity. Girth aspired to be GrudCha more than any, but knew he could never best Kraashnak in a one on one fight. On the first day of the Moot, Girth declared in the Grud-Moot that Kraashnak was not following the edicts of RokNar, that the very fact that Kraashnak is still standing is a sign that RokNar does not want him in his army. The Moot house exploded with the sound of battle. All thirteen tribes encamped nearby, but no one dared to enter the house. It is forbidden. After five long minutes of battle only a few left the Moot house. Out of the twenty-six men and women in the Moot house, one Cha and one Eld from each tribe, only six emerged. Erk Eld Nool, the Nool tribe battle strategist. Kalbaz Cha Morbaag and Orz Eld Morbaag, from the Morbaag tribe, know for its treachery even amongst the tribes. Girth Cha Zulbag, but he would later succumb to wound taken from Zelthaw. Hugruck GrudEld Ruugar carrying Kraashnak in one arm, and Zelthaw in the other. Hugruck was one of Kraashnaks many children. Kraashnak was for all intensive purposes, mortally wounded. His right and primary arm had been severed from his body. It seems more than one Cha hoped for open battle within the Moot house, and believed it would be their chance to separate Kraashnak from Zelthaw and thus take GrudCha for themselves. Only Ruugar would win out this day. More importantly than the battle that day though, were Girth's words about Kraashnak's faith. Hugruck, as well as the other survivors took them to heart. Word spread throughout the tribes while Kraashnak fought for his life in the Ruugar encampment. Two days after the event known within the tribes as "RokNar's Purge", the third day of the Moot, all deceased Cha's had been replaced, and the Grud-Moot continued with Hugruck as acting GrudCha for the Ruugar. All day the debate, supposed to be about the overly aggressive tribes, turned back to Kraashnak and that he did not follow the edicts of RokNar. Hugruck defended his GrudCha's honor, anyone who knows Kraashnak, knows he is faithful. But even he was waning with the pressure of twelve Cha pushing against him. On the forth day another Eld came to Hugruck and told him that Kraashnak would live and was showing improvement. Hugruck entered a secret Moot with the Ruugar Pru's, while throughout the tribes, whispers of Kraashnak's recovery shocked even his tribesmen. The Pru's in his secret Moot, and the Cha's of the Grud-Moot screamed at Hugruck, that this is proof of RokNar disdain for Kraashnak, and if the Ruugar do not strip Kraashnak of his names and leave him to be forgotten, all the Tribesmen will suffer. Hugruck saw no other option. Before the Grud-Moot was completed that day, Hugruck declared himself GrudCha to the other tribes. He already held Zelthaw, and still had the largest most powerful tribe, though dwindling every day. There was very little argument for a Moot. This Grud-Moot had already reached it forth day, and the tribes needed to continue their hunt. There was no resolution to the all out wars across all borders. That night the Pru's of Ruugar entered Kraashnak tent. They told him that he was to be "left behind". Striped of his names. He did not argue, the decision was made. He knew with his gruesome wound his chance for survival was small. But he also knew that he was devoted to RokNar, and he was ment to be in his army. Little is known about Kraashnak months of survival in the tundra until his arm completely healed. The hardships would have been horrendous. But knowing there was no life left for him in White Towns, he made his way south to Valusia.... Stats Attributes & Skills Edges Hindrances Arms & Equipment Category:Evernight Character